Turn of the Serpent
by Go-Kitty10
Summary: Lord Cadwgan, the new ruler of Hyrule, brings the highest and noblest race to its knees. He owns a boy called Dark Link, whom he made. However, he is not satisfied with his artificial son and prepares to have Link kill him to dispose of the excess space..
1. Essence

It's red. The favored beverage of his grace. He conquered Hyrule and gained all power. The peoples are disappearing at an increasing rate; and he is to blame. The new dictator of Hyrule, the Twilit Butterfly, has the control to change time, to twist law, and to bend _minds_. All reaches of his sorcery has held the very corners of Hyrule, and as such, he is the most powerful conqueror of Hyrule's history.

Cian, loyal servant to the new lord, poured the blood red drink gently and carefully into the crystalline glass. The drink was kept in a lustrous pitcher of admirable craftsmanship, carved and painted to tell the story the Twilit Butterfly's great attempts. It was kept in a steep barrel filled with frost and snow from Snowpeak, and remained cold as long as the witchcraft withstood the perishing nation. After the last drop fell into the glass, the pitcher emptied.

"After I deliver this to him, I will refill it," Cian reminded himself, "it would be most unsatisfactory if I should fall out of favor." With careful hands, the thin, pale fingers pressed delicately on the crystal rim, he raised the drink slowly and transferred it to a large, elliptical silver tray while hardly stirring the liquid. Then, just as patiently and conscious of mistake, Cian wrapped his palms around the handles at either sides of the platter, and gracefully lifted it from the black iron table and carried it from the kitchen.

Outside the door, the large dining hall glimmered with the enchanting lights of the golden chandelier hanging from the high stone roof. There were seven long tables. One, with the most ornate chairs, faced forward toward the exit and sideways from the kitchen. In the middle of this table was a golden high-backed chair. Gray and black cloth decorated the throne's back, and therefore represented the lord. The other six tables, three to one side of the hall, three to the other, were plain. They were affixed with wooden benches and unfinished wood. Hundreds of beasts and lowly servants waited at the tables. There was still time before the lord wound present the time to feast.

Cian strode between the sets of three, where the aisle was widest. No waiting victim of hunger turned to face him. They only stared unnaturally ahead, as if brainwashed. "Pathetic, mindless creatures," Cian deemed, "they were unworthy his Majesty's favor, like I. However, they are useful. They're the disgusting souls to have their hands defiled, not me. They are lucky to still be alive after the last news." He recalled the ugly reaction of the lord when he had collected that Link was indeed still alive and safe in hiding. He was protected by impenetrable magic and guarded against the misery. The lord was angered beyond rage and had reacted by immediately disposing the messengers.

The doors to the main floor opened before Cian without reinforcement. The very walls were seeping with magic. In the evenings, the candles lit all at once, but in a subtle, casual way. The glass of the windows shifted colors, showing different pictures almost every minute. Strong barriers prevented incoming visitors from approaching the castle beyond the gates. So powerful was the magic, that those of weak bodies or pure hearts could not enter without suffocation from high concentration of dark power. This was how power the Twilit Butterfly was.

Up the Grand Staircase, under the stone arches, and spiraling up the tower stairs. The Tower climbed to the sky at nearly three hundred meters. It clawed at the constant swirling clouds and into the dark night skies. In these recent days, such a splendid sight was tainted by the glowing orange moon that never left the heights of the stars unless the lord slept. It forever waited to shift until those times. However, ever since news of Link,, the King had remained awake. "He will need sleep soon," thought Cian, "he may be powerful, but he is still human in the heart and mind; he will die if he does rest and rejuvenate."

Finally, upon approaching the door to the lord's room, Cian waited for the door to open. After a few moments, the door creaked loud and hit the wall with a bang of wood on stone and a clatter of hanging door handles rattling. At the end of the room, at the large window, stood his grace himself, staring out the shattered window. Cian balanced the tray in his arms and bowed respectively. The lord turned his gaze to his servant, and inclined his head to mean that Cian can approach. Cian quietly stepped to the lord and offered the drink.

"Here, sir, is the beverage you wish to drink at the celebration?" He held the tray forward. The lord took the glass, wrapping his cold, white fingers around the crystal. "This is the most recent addition to your collection of exotic finds, master Butterfly."

"Are the scum prepared for their last meal before they begin the search?" the Lord sipped his drink silently and set it back on the tray. "Is this all there is?"

"To be honest, the cook had his way with it. This is what was left of the first batch," Cian replied.

"Very well, I await when you return to the table for this final supper," the lord spoke with divine articulation and a carefully rehearsed voice so that his speech was flawless. Cian bowed again and asked, "What will you do until he is found?"

The lord continued to stare into the cracks and made no reply or even seemed to realize that he had a question. He turned his head slightly to Cian, so that part of his face was visible under the coned hood to the lower ranked. He smiled and merely said, "I shall wait. There is no reason for I to do anything."

Cian nodded and said, "I'll bring this down to the dining table. Will you follow me, your humble but most loyal adviser?"

The Butterfly smiled again, "I shall." He turned gracefully, his long black cloak billowing open. His hood fell from his head and his long white hair, tied in a ponytail, whirled to settle on his shoulder. His bright eyes glowed under the shining bangs and the long Hylian ears poked out the sides of his head. He wore a black tunic over a gray turtle-necked shirt. Over the black tights that hugged his legs were knee high black dragon hide boots. He wore black fingerless gloves and various rings of many different gems, from diamond to jet, from ruby to amethyst and more. His smile widened, bearing his pearly white teeth and the two horrid fangs that grew from his canines. "We shall remember the night that I slayed Hyrule and its precious Hylians! I now stand as the last." Cian shook; the lord, named Braen-Bran of Cadagon, had never once sounded so gleeful of his work.

The lord and servant plodded one step after another and returned to the dining hall. It was still full and quiet as it had been when Cian walked out. However, a new guest had arrived. A boy, of fifteen, waited in a chair next to the high backed throne at the head table. Cadagon scowled at the boy. He had cropped white hair, a coned black hat, black tunic and white tights. A black sailor collar was lengthened to about his waist length and his black boots were only up to just under his knee caps. His eyes were red, but duller and darker compared to Cadagon's.

"I was in very high spirit until I saw him. That boy is a disgrace, and a dent in my honor. He should be destroyed." Cadagon strode forward with hefty steps and took his seat by the boy. The boy, named Dark Link, was the creation of Cadagon and the blood of the past heroes. He collected enough to forge their image into a human being powerful as he. However, he failed as a predecessor to Cadagon, for he was useless. He _wouldn't_ fight, _wouldn't_ talk, and had never once betrayed his blood of the heroes. Dark Link was locked away and secured in the dungeon. To all but Cadagon and Cian, he was passed as the lord's mentally challenged and insane son. He was brought up to eat food , but still immobilized by chains and guards behind his chair.

Dark Link turned his eyes to the king and frowned. The pain still remained. It had dwelt within his mind and heart since his birth. It was the pain of the heroes, the past Links, clawing and scratching his insides for escape. For revenge and to take back their most beloved country. Cian had approached the table and set the king's beverage next his gold plate. Dark Link gazed into the liquid for a few seconds, and then his eyes widened and irises narrowed. The heroes within him screamed and cried. Dark Link clutched part of his chest where his heart beat faster an faster. His air canal became constricted and harder to breath through. Small gasps of pain escaped his lips as Cadagon watched. He rolled his eyes and said to Cian, "When Link is found, we will send this thing to him. He will be killed and I will have the last Hylian in my control." Cian nodded and fetched the pitcher for the king's beverage.

Dark Link shook his head. That drink was forbidden. It was unholy and vile, and no person was to set his lips on it. Cadagon picked it up and said to the boy, "You see this, creature? This is the new age of Hyrule where no Hylian but ourselves and that Link are left. Of course, this sort of drink is your poison, but it's my elixir. It is the line between you and I. I am pure evil and wickedness, but you are love and protection. It is only so sad that you were unable to save your beautiful people." He smiled and began to gulp the drink. Hot and scarring blood ran through Dark Link's body and pained him more. The boy's head fell to the table and his eyes were wide with the searing anger of the heroes within him. He screamed and shouted, "No! Please don't kill me; I am only your humble carrier! Please spare me so that I can find him for you!" His cries continued as Cian left the kitchen.

Cian stopped at the front threshold. He blinked and his mouth twitched. "Who would create such a creature?" he whispered. "He is constant hurt and only wishes to be away from this evil. I don't understand why the king didn't kill him before this." He sighed and walked through the door. The large moon was reflected in the red pond that placidly shimmered in the dark night. Cian bent over it and scooped the liquid using the pitcher until it was full. Then he looked up from the pitcher, and to a strange object in the pond. It was spider like, and attached to something long and fleshy. Cian set the pitcher a foot from the pond's edge and picked up the object. He pulled it from the depths and unveiled a person. A Hylian by the look of the ears. "He must be new," Cian said. Then Hylian stirred and shifted his head only a little to Cian. He breathed and whispered, "Save me..." Cian sighed and dropped the Hylian back in the water. The Hylian screamed and rose to the surface of the pond.

He gasped and sputtered, "What is this? Is this some crude joke that you and that dirty lord made?"

"What do you think it is?" Cian drawled. The Hylian held out his hand.

"You tell me," he growled.

Cian rolled his eyes and replied, "This is blood. The blood of the Hylians that fell today. Including yourself." With that, he shoved his boot into the Hylian's face and kicked him back in the pond, the blood. The Hylian shrieked into the night and tried to resurface, but he found himself unable to. Cian picked up the pitcher and brought it back to the castle. He walked between the tables and set the pitcher at the king's plate. Dark Link lay breathing, the whites of his eyes open and wide. Cian took the seat on Cadagon's other side and sat upright. The king lifted his glass to the beasts that gorged their food. He snickered and finished his drink. Cian began to eat. "That boy is truly worthless. He can not even calm his heart to the smell of Hylian blood.

Dark Link still rested motionless, his head still on the table. The tears of the hundreds that had perished that day crept from the corners of his eyes and onto the rose finish.


	2. Entertainment

A beautiful lady, tall and slender as a broom pole, strode through the halls of the once great Hyrule Castle, seemingly gliding over the stone if one were not to look carefully. The halls themselves were lined with doors for the servants, soldiers, and monsters. Usually, the halls are echoing with busy bodies, but today, they were all in the dining hall, celebrating, like genocide is anything to celebrate. "Death to the Hylians," she whispered. She was a witch of a sort. She drew power from the life force of the Hylians, but since only three remained, the King, the Hero, and him, her power was weak. In fact it was "him" that she feared. He was abnormal, unlike any being alive. He was twisted, messed up, wrong. He was many things. He still is many things. He would most likely be in the dining hall.

The beautiful lady was known as the Spider Widow, Hecátē Arachnē. She always wore a heavy veil over her face and was held by the silver crown that wrapped around her head. Her hair was sleek and so long that it hung to her knees. Her dress was thick and clung to her body. A silver chain belt was wrapped around her waist. However, as beautiful as she was, eight ugly spider legs protruded from her back. They were useless except for show. However, how does one enjoy showing what is ugly? So, she never thought of those legs as a part of her.

The doors to the hall loomed in front of her. They opened and she walked in. The King was there. He held something, a wine glass, full of red liquid. She sighed. 'So that's what they intend to with the blood,' she thought. The king looked away from his glass and at her. He set down his glass and motioned her forward. Arachnē continued through the great doors and down the long hall. She stopped in front of the table and looked to the boy next to him. The poor boy was in pain. He shook as his blood boiled. "So it is the Hylians' blood that has him in such a terrible state," she said.

"That is correct," King Cadagon replied, "He is pathetic and worthless. I was only selfish to not dispose of my creation. Now I am stuck with him."

Arachnē sighed and her black bead eyes sloped. "Is the clown joining us?" she asked.

"Of course he is, my dear Arachnē. A celebration is never complete without a clown in the first place." He sipped from his glass and Dark Link choked. "Cian will return in a moment. He has just left to bring your friend. Sit down, Arachnē. I do not like it when I am looked down upon." Arachnē moved to the empty seat next to Dark Link. She could hear his heart thumping in his chest and his whispered pleas for forgiveness. 'How sad, to be forced in such a body,' she thought, 'It must really hurt them to be unable to do anything."

More of the King's special guests came in and took seats at the front table. There were four generals, two scribes, a blacksmith, and a stables master. Only two seats remained. One for Cian, and the last for "him". They waited. The whispers that ran from Dark Link's mouth bounced through the halls. He pleaded to be saved, to be spared. Arachnē only listened, her back straight and her chin high. Suddenly, a crash of breaking porcelain and maniacal laughter resounded from the other side of the door. The doors opened with a bang and a dark figure stood there.

He was still laughing. His skin was as pale as parchment and his hair darker than the night. He wore a long black coat, unbuttoned to reveal his bandaged chest. The long black pants he wore hugged his hips by a black belt. Black boots, with grey button straps, extended to his knees. His eyes were grey. His tongue was bright red like blood. He still stood laughing. A maniac, a psycho, and a clown he was often called. His name was Lucio Lucifer. He ran crookedly to the table, still laughing, and stopped right in front of the King. He remained quiet there, and only smiled wide to show his snow white teeth.

"What is it this time you deranged fool?" Cadagon suppressed a snicker.

"Deranged, you say?" Lucifer's voice was twisted and stuttering. "I only pity those stupid souls in that pond you have out there! They've all been muddled and contorted as if they were squeezed like lemons! All that remains is their sweet and beautiful blood!" Lucifer cracked and cackled as he fell to the floor. Cian walked through the door and stopped just short of Lucifer. The maniac looked up, now only chuckled.

"Mr. Lucifer, I suggest that you find your seat now. There's an empty one next to Miss. Arachnē. I believe you have a liking to her."

"Oh, you mean Hecátē Arachnē? She doesn't take a liking me at all and I can't see why! I have such a beautiful face after all." He smiled and took the empty seat. He leaned forward and set his head in his crossed arms.

"I don't think it's your face that she has a problem with," Cian shook his head.

"Be kind, Cian. He is an honored guest and we welcome him with kind words," the King smiled.

Cian bowed, "Yes, sir, I'll keep that in mind."

"That's only if can keep your mind!" Lucifer chortled, "If your able to keep it safe while I'm here, you've passed!" He laughed loudly so that every abrupt intake of breath echoed round the dining the hall.

"Sit. I need to discuss a matter of much importance with you," Cadagon pulled open the chair next to him. Cian furrowed his brow and sat in the chair. "Spare me a moment for my speech."

Cadagon stood and boomed, "Welcome my loyal subjects! We gathered here tonight in celebration of a special event! Our victory of destroying the entire Hylian race that threatens to bring us down is spilled in the plains of Hyrule. Outside the front doors is large pond, twice the area size of this castle. It is filled to the brim with blood. The blood of the Hylians is ours! I have you to thank, so I allow everyone in this dining room to drink it!" The raised his arms as every glass in the hall was raised and the red liquid spilled over their fingers. Dark Link shook ferociously now. Cadagon sat back down as a servant with no face came to offer the blood. The King nodded his and the servant poured the blood into the wine glass. Then he walked down the aisle past Cian to the generals.

"What must you speak to me, sir?" Cian asked politely, swilling his beverage in his glass and timidly nibbling on the corn on his plate.

"I was thinking of how I should kill off my son," Cadagon replied, "He is bothersome."

"Why would you do that? Kill off your son, sir?" Cian sipped and set his glass down.

"I will kill him because I hate him," Cadagon smirked and ruffled Dark Link's hair, "Besides, where he is concerned, killing him is the best thing for him."

"But how, sir?"

"Oh, NO! Mister, I will not accept your blood!" Lucio shouted drunk-like from down the table. Cadagon and Cian looked over to him.

"Then tell my servant what you want, Lucifer," Cadagon suggested.

"Bring me water," Lucio smiled wide with his eyes closed. The servant gestured piture toward Lucio. "No, not in one of those dirty tankers! Put it in a bucket!" The fork in his mouth clashed against his empty plate as he spoke.

"I've never understood why he eats so fast," Cian commented.

"He eats like a swine because he'll only puke it back on his plate and ruin his meal if he eats too slow," Cadagon answered, "That is how he has been since he took that wound to his stomach. As I was saying, I'll have my son find Link and clash against him. He won't be able to fight and will be killed when Link discovers he is my son."

"Why can't you kill him yourself?" Cian frowned.

"Why would I dirty my hands more by staining them with his blood?" Cadagon asked, "I would be questioned and that would only result in more fighting. I'm trying to keep peace. If I am to keep that, I must keep balance in this castle."

The servant walked past the King and Cian with a pale of water. 'I wonder what in the world he plans to do with a bucket of water?' Cian wondered while he stared at Lucifer. The servant handed the bucket to Lucifer, who took it with delight and shook the servant's three fingered hand. As the servant walked away, Lucifer leaned back and dumped the entire contents of the bucket on his head. Cian's face folded into both surprise and confusion.

Lucifer set the bucket on top of his plate right side up and leaned forward so he could rest his chin on the rim. "What in the hell is he doing, sir?" Cian whispered to the King.

"He always asks for a pale of water so one: he can pour it on his burning forehead, which is really half the reason he is crazy, and two: so he has a vessel in which to throw up because the closest bathroom in this castle is on the second floor and he would never make it there in time."

Cian sighed and slumped backward. 'There're too many wackjobs in this castle…" he thought.

- - -

The guards pulled Dark Link down the stares to his dungeon cell. Dark Link didn't struggle, for doing so would bring harm on him. He didn't want that.

"Stay here," one guard commanded.

"You will be sent away on a job tomorrow morning," the second added.

"You should be grateful that the King even trusts you at all to let you do this," the first finished and both guards left the large dungeon cell and locked the door. Just as the door clicked, Dark Link started to cry when he heard erratic laughter and screaming guards. He stumbled to door with his chains and looked through the bars in the high open window. He saw the lunatic, the one that sat next to Arachnē at dinner. He was snickering and holding a bloody ax in his clenched fist. Lucifer looked at Dark Link and smiled so wide his gums showed. He licked his sharp teeth and lunged at the door, throwing Dark Link away from it.

He poked his nose through the bars and stuttered, "Would you like me to free you little boy?"

"Oh, please Lucio," came the calm voice of Arachnē, "you're probably scaring the poor boy." Keys rattled and the door opened to reveal the two figures. "Do you want us to free you, my Lord Dark Link?" she smiled and held out her hand.


	3. The Shadow of the Lake

"What will we do now?" Arachnē asked. She looked down to Lucifer at her feet. He sat at the edge of the fishing dock at Lake Hylia, his arms wrapped around his folded knees. She sighed and looked at the reflected moon in the water's surface. It rippled and shivered in the cold night, but it was so bright, even as a mirror image. "What do we do? We've been banished from Hyrule Castle and now we have no where to go."

"We should find Link," Lucifer said. "Even if we are unable to convince him of our honesty, it is up to him if we should live, so pray Din if he'll spare us."

"You're unusually calm, Lucio," Arachnē remarked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Arachnē, only the water," he replied. "Water has a calm effect on me. The way it feels on my skin and the way that it's so calm even when it seeks to devastate. However, blood has the opposite effect. It brings out my monster and releases the madness and insanity in me. That's why eating with the King has always been a pleasure; because there is always blood, whether it be in his meat or his cup it doesn't matter."

"Hm, that may be true for everyone. I'll leave finding Link to you. I must contact my sisters and tell them the King's plan." She turned and glided away from the dock. "Farewell, Lucio, may the Goddesses be on your side." She left the lake as the moon peaked the sky. Nothing could be more beautiful.

--

Dark Link laid in a bed of soft covers. It was well made of straw and bird feathers like all of royal beds. The quilts covering it were atrocious, however. They were mixes of greens, yellows, and reds. The pillows were soft and the curtain that could be pulled around the mattresses was fine red silk. He held tight to the covers and wept. "Why do I deserve this? I was just in the dungeon and now I'm treated like a prince by being given this room." He sat up and looked around.

The room's walls were white, but cluttered with paintings. If not covered by paintings, then it was blocked by furniture. A dresser, a scribe's desk, a bookcase and in one corner, a reading table with ornate wooden chairs were only a few of the articles of furniture here. Many of the paintings were of insects or royalty. He spotted one of the late Princess Zelda. "How sad; why must it be this way?" he thought when he saw the painting. "She was defending her proud country. Now Hyrule is bland and dreary. I bet it was pretty before my father took the throne." He fell back onto his mattress and breathed.

"If I'm about to be sent away to be killed, then I should at least still be in the dungeon." He recollected what had happened there when Lucifer and Arachnē had come to set him free and save him.

Lucifer had taken long strides into the room and fell to crawling position right Dark Link so that their noses nearly touched. "You want to go away, yes? We can do that for you. We can let you out!" His breath was sweet like sugar and his voice trembled whether from the cold or laughter, Dark Link couldn't decide which. Lucifer licked his lips and said, "Come with us, you don't have to stay in this dingy cell anymore."

"Come Lucio, don't scare him," Arachnē stepped in beside him and softly spoke, "You will be killed if you stay here any longer. Let us take you away and I'll deliver you to one of my sisters, maybe Flora." She smiled gently and kindly. Dark Link had always wanted to leave, but the King was his father, and since it was his father that wanted him dead, it would be worthless to run. The King's men were everywhere. So there was literally no escape. Unless one was sent away by Cadagon himself, he would never be let go. Dark Link bit his lip and thought of what he should do. Leaving with these two would result in him being a convict. Staying here would mean being sent away to be killed. 'Which way should I go?' He racked his brain.

"Shall we set you free, little bird?" Lucifer held up his ax to his neck as if he planned on beheading him instead.

Dark Link's eyes widened and tears flowed from his eyes. 'All I've wanted is for my father to love me like a real son! How would I do that if I die here?'

"No!" he shouted, "Leave me alone!" He bolted up, pushing Lucio aside and past Arachnē, who dodged. He ran down the stone corridor away from his cell.

"Get back here, you son of a bitch!" Lucio called and chased. Arachnē dodged him as well and stayed by the cell. She sighed and quietly followed. 'What does that boy plan to do? If he stays, he is not benefitted. We even know the whereabouts of Link and the surviving folk from other races. Further more, I don't think I've ever heard Lucio curse before…'

Dark Link crashed into the door and fell at it's threshold. He could hear Lucifer pursuing him, but he didn't get up. "Here you are, piece of crap. Time to put you your place; you should know that children don't disagree to adults like Lady Arachnē and me." He raised his ax and swung it down. Dark Link scooted away and barely dodged the slice from the blade. The ax hit the hard floor and smashed the tiled design to small shards. Dark Link jumped up and made for the staircase.

'I need to find my father! Or Cian, either will do just fine. I just want them to go away!' He thought as his feet pounded on the stairs, echoing into the halls. Lucifer stood at the dungeon entrance to the side of the staircase. He panted and sweat dripped down his face. His grey eyes had turned scarlet. From the pond outside, he could smell the blood. Then he fell to his knees and cried.

"Why doesn't anybody trust me? I know I'm out of my mind, but I can't help that. If only he hadn't done this to me. If only I was the person I was sixteen years ago, before all this happened." Arachnē finally reached to entrance to discover the broken Lucifer.

"You must learn to control your temper, Lucio," she said, "If you can't do that, at least don't scare people. They'll look at as the wrong person." Lucio turned his head to her. The tears shimmered on his face. Then his brow furrowed.

"Don't say that like you know," he held back his sobbing, "I wasn't always like this. I was driven mad by one person and he is dead at the moment. I only became more mad when he died. Every time I smell blood, especially that of a Hylian, his memory comes back."

Heavy steps echoed in the hall. Arachnē looked up to the stairs. Guards ran down the stairs and surrounded the two. "We have information that you tried to free the King's son," one of them boomed, "You are now enemies of the King." Arachnē looked to the top of the staircase and was saddened to see Dark Link clinging to the King's cape. He looked close to tears and the King merely looked foreboding. The guard continued, "You are now banished from Hyrule Castle and the surrounding market. If you return, you will be publically humiliated and executed."

"Publically executed?" Lucifer asked.

"Of course," another guard replied. "Traitors such as yourselves must be put in their place."

"Then will you lead me away? I am a traitor; shouldn't you keep and eye on me?" Lucifer stood and dropped his ax to the ground. The guards looked confused and their stances shifted slightly.

"You should," the King yelled over the staircase. "You won't know what he'll do if you let him go alone. He may kill every villager in town."

"Yes, sir!" The guards stood straight and saluted. Then a guard grabbed Lucifer's arm and pulled.

"Let me go!" Lucifer demanded. He squirmed like a kitten that was fed up with being held in the guard's grip. "Let me go! I can just follow you! Don't touch me! I deserve better!" At this point, four more guards had grabbed Lucifer. Two took his legs, one took his other arm and the last hugged his middle. All five guards struggled to hold on to Lucifer and slowly walked him out the front door. Lucifer continued worming and shouting. One guard not holding Lucifer gently held Arachnē's wrist and guided her out the door. The remaining guards followed.

"That was a good thing you did, my son," the King smiled and looked down at the shivering Dark Link, "It was wise of you to find me and inform me." Cian stepped forward and petted Dark Link's hair.

"Will you post pone his death?" Cian asked.

"Of course," Cadagon replied, "It would be ungrateful if I did. It is a shame to let go Lucifer and Arachnē; they are very powerful and have beneficial to us." He wrapped his arm around Dark Link's shoulders.

--

Lucio was now in the Cave of Nayru. Its walls glowed blue and the water in the sring was so pure that it glittered like the strange stones surrounding it. Nayru sat in a chair in the middle of it. She smiled and said, "What is it you need this time, Lucio?" Her voice sounded like a thousand voices and echoed around the round shrine.

"I need you to tell me," Lucio started, "what is the story of the Two Brothers?" He smirked. "I think they're directly connected to what's happened tonight."

"Hm," Nayru smiled, "That request is much easier than some of the last you've asked of me. Of course I can tell you about my sons."


	4. Bonding

"Cian, I have a favor to ask of you," Cadagon was nibbling on a cookie from a metal tin. Cian set down the glass of water he was carrying and stood straight.

"Yes, sir?" he responded.

"I need you to go down to the library and gather all of the materials on the last wars of Hyrule," Cadagon smirked, "I have been meaning to get them myself, but my son requires more attention now. Deliver them to me in his room; that is where I will be."

"Yes, sir," Cian left them after a bow. His steps resounded from the spiral staircase. Cadagon waited in the tower for a few moments, thinking to himself.

'I do not want to kill him now,' his eyes stared into the moon shining in the pond of blood below, 'he is far too valuable at this point. What should I do? Should I continue with the original plan or change my mind?' His smile faded. 'What was I thinking? I thought I could create a perfect hylian. I failed because his spirit lacks that of a hylian. Either it is my fault he is odd, or it is he who is faulty.' His brow furrowed and he left the room.

Dark Link's room was down the spiral stairs on the third floor. This floor was well lit, with gas lamps hanging about a meter apart from each other on the wall. Tiles covered the stone so that the floor shined. The wall was painted red with gold floral patterns. From the ceiling hung a chandelier that was situated between the stairs that Cadagon had come off from the ones to the second floor. Altogether, the third floor was beautiful.

Even the doors were pretty; the white entrances decorated with fine gold inlay. Each door had a nameplate over it. Some said the names of special servants, (Cian slept on the third floor) some named highly regarded knights, (very few were present at the castle at one time, so most of these rooms were unoccupied) and a few named special rooms. The third floor circled around the spiral staircase that Cadwagn left, and Dark Link's room was on the other side of them, so Cadagon had to walk round the stair case.

Once he made it to Dark Link's room, he knocked on the door and then let himself in. Dark Link was lying on the large bed in the center of the room. He looked around to the door to see the King at his door.

'What is he doing here?' Dark Link thought, 'I haven't done anything wrong, have I?'

Cadagon, reading the expression on Dark Link's face and smiled. "I am not here to punish you," he started, "I am here to, say, chat." Dark Link buried his face into his pillow. "You know, a son should show respect to his father," Cadagon sat on the side of the bed, "but I will make an exception for you." He ran his fingers into Dark Link's hair. "I have been rough on you, but you should know that it is to keep you away from filthy hands. I have decided to let you stay here, instead. You already look livelier." Indeed, Dark Link's face seemed warmer than his normal white, ghost-like appearance.

"They said that you would send me away to have me killed," Dark Link sobbed, "so why do I deserve this?" Cadwagn continued to pet Dark Link while he thought of an answer.

"Well, I will admit that I hated you because you never compared to the real Link," he replied, "so I wanted to get rid of you. However, I thought that would only bring more misfortune to Hyrule to have lost yet another of its precious Hylians. Also, I may become madder than I already am if I had to live with no son at all. So, instead of having Link kill you, I will allow you to find him and befriend him. You can report to me every now and then and tell me what he is up to. You could be like my own spy, shall I say."

Dark Link sat up and faced Cadagon, his face wet from tears. "What if I forget?"

"Forget what?" Cadagon began drying Dark Link's face with his handkerchief, "To report? Of course you will not forget. Do you know why?" Dark Link shook his head. "It is because you love me. Cian loves you. Lucio, that nutcase with ax, loves you and so does Arachnē, the woman. They thought they were rescuing you. All the goddesses love you and so do the Heroes' Spirits. They try to keep you from doing evil you'll regret doing later. Most of all, however, I love you," Cadagon pulled Dark Link's head to his chest, "and never forget that."

Just then, Cian opened the door with one arm stacked from his waist to chin with books. When he had closed the door, he took them in both hands and walked carefully to the bed. "Bonding, I see," he commented when he set the books next to Cadagon. "Will that be all?"

"Yes, Cian, thank you very much," Cadagon replied and gestured his hand to shoo the servant away. "Dark Link, do you know what these books are about?" He shifted so that Dark Link would take his head from his chest. Dark Link read the titles with difficulty, for his years in the dungeon took away much of his chances of education. '_The Imprisoning War, The Timeless War, The War of Termina, The Bondless War, and The Hundred Year War_; I have no idea what he means…'

"Dark Link," Cadagon sounded concerned by reading his face, "you have no idea what a war is, do you?" Dark Link shook his head. Cadagon sighed and continued, "A war is like a battle, but it is a lot deeper than that. A war can be many battles or just one. I want you to read these books and learn about these wars. They are very important. Even Link has read them. I read them. Cian read them when I took him as a servant. Lucio and Arachnē, they read them. I want you to be like them. They are all very smart and gifted, and I think that it is very important that you become like that."

Dark Link furrowed his brow and looked up into the eyes of his father. "But, I can't read very well. It'll take me ages to read these." Cadagon's expression changed from delight to worry.

"What have you been doing in the dungeon, then?" he asked.

"The only thing I could do was sit and wait to be asked for and then dragged to where I needed to be. No one would come to greet me or talk to me. With that said, you wouldn't imagine that someone like a teacher would come to educate me." Dark Link's face turned away. Cadagon sighed again and closed his eyes while he thought.

"Fine, I will teach you. It is the least I can do for you since I was not very fatherly before. If I can not attend you, Cian will take my place. How do you like that?" Cadagon suggested. Dark Link looked back and nodded. "Good," Cadagon got up, set the books on the floor and shoved them under Dark Link's bed. "so when you are ready to start reading them, they are where you can find them. They have numbers on their spines so you know what order to read them. The numbers jump, but that is because the numbers are those only for the wars. The rest are general history. If you want to read all of them, you can go to the library and pick up the rest. Look for the books titled _The Hyrulian Annals_. I will see you tomorrow for your first lesson." Dark Link looked up to his father, and then to the pillow on his bed.

Cadagon smiled and bent down to Dark Link. He took the boy in his arms and whispered, "Never forget that I love you more than anything." He held Dark Link for several minutes and let go. Then he gently moved Dark Link's bangs away from his forehead and kissed him there. He smoothed the hair over and walked away through the door where he met Cian there.

"Your Highness-" Cian began when Cadagon held up a hand to quiet him.

He turned to his servant and smirked. "What do you think, Cian?"

Cian chuckled and replied, "I think it's about time you fell for that boy." Cadagon smiled all the way and strode away to his tower room.


	5. The Hylian

_On the sacred tablets mounted in the Temple of Time there tells a legend of Or. Or, the forth God, said to have failed his duty and banished from the borders of Hyrule. He presided over the Sacred Realm, just outside of the Great Hyrule plain. There is no way to enter the Sacred Realm without completing his trials. However, he did not challenge the alleged Hero of Time and did not forewarn him of taking the Master Sword from its pedestal. The young Hero disappeared for seven years. Or knew he would be punished by the Three Sacred Goddesses if he could not procure the Hero, thus he opened the Door to the Sacred Realm. He had not predicted that the Leader of the Gerudo would surpass him into the Sacred Realm and take possession of the Golden Trinity, the Triforce. For seven years, the Leader of the Gerudo enshrouded green Hyrule in crimson darkness. The Goddesses were indeed angered by Or's thoughtless he act. They banished him into the Prison sealed in the desert, to the Twilight Realm. On the tablets mounted in the Temple of Time, there whispers a prophecy: __**The Hero will be born again, more valiant and more wise than the Hero of Time.**_

"This is drab business," Lucio slapped the manual, _Hylian,_ shut. "When will such a hero come to save us? Save Hyrule? Save Dark Link? That boy needs all the saving he can get." A breeze drove over the Lake and into Lucio, tugging his hair back dramatically. It carried the scent of the misty depths and fresh grass with it. Trees rustled and fought against it. Lucio beamed. "There's one thing that will never change about Hyrule."

Arachnē materialized in the air next to him, on the grass where he was sitting. Her expression was somber.

"Any luck, Arachnē?" Lucio stood and brushed the dust off his clothes. She shook her head.

"I can't find him," she murmured, "I can't find the Kinght's son."

"Argh, he'd be right useful if we had him," Lucio made a disgusted face. "Why'd he have to run away in the first place? I ran away from the circus, but I have my reasons for that. Clowns are damn awful creepy."

Arachnē hid a snicker and looked away. "You of all people would know a clown, Lucio. May I take that from you?" She gestured to the _Hylian_.

"It's not very useful, something about Or and how he was imprisoned. It doesn't match up with the history. I know more history than anyone for miles beyond the borders." Nevertheless, he handed the book to Arachnē, who sat down and flipped through its pages.

"You got the one with drawings, Lucio?" she peered at him from the ground. Lucio shrugged.

"I like drawings; makes the story worse, but I at least understand what's going on."

"This is a story?" She now gently closed the book and turned away. "Is that how you look at Hyrule?"

"Of course, Arachnē, Hyrule is one big book made up of a bunch of stories. None of it can be true. You can't write history, you can only tell it."

"What happens when you do write it?" Arachnē was now sulking.

"You taint it. By either glorifying it or degrading it. That thing about the Hero? He was a kid, and not so great mind that. He did what anyone slapped with that label would do: Do as you're told so you don't get punished. Did you know that he never wanted to be the Hero at all?"

"No one would."

"Exactly. That thing about Or? It's not his fault. He was in precisely the same predicament. He wanted to do as he was told and keep an eye on the Hero. He was still punished, because he let a guy into the Sacred Realm. What help were the Goddesses to him? They put such a large order on him, expecting him to fulfill it perfectly. What they were saying was, 'We don't have any business with you, so you handle this by yourself.' I laugh at the Goddesses; I think they're clowns."

"Didn't you already say that 'clowns are damn awful creepy?'"

"Yeah." He smirked. Arachnē had realized where he was getting at; in his sense, the Goddesses were as laughable as he was.

…

Cadagon shifted through his various manuscripts. There was absolutely nothing on the Knight's son. Not even his name. _Who was this guy?_ he continuously asked himself. _Did he think that he'd get away unscathed once he was found?_ He slumped in the back of his chair and rubbed his eyes. His desk was an absolute mess, _Maybe I can have Cian clean it up for me. _He felt a feeble presence by his side. Startled, he looked to it and it was Dark Link.

"Father, when are going to read to me again?" he whimpered. Cadagon smiled. It had already been a week since he banished Lucio and Arachnē from the castle, and in that short time, he found that Dark Link was dyslexic. No matter how hard he tried to read the words right, they came out completely different than what was written. So Cadagon offered to start reading it to Dark Link, but he knew the boy wasn't the least bit interested in what he was reading; it had been the first time in all his life that he felt loved like the child he was. Cadagon had also began to accept Dark Link as his son.

"How about after I finish up here?" He waved to the cluttered desk. Dark Link's hopes fell; this looked nearly impossible. "Cian! I have a favor to ask of you."

With that, Cian stepped into the room. He bowed as he entered and brightened, "How may I be of help?"

Dark Link tugged at Cadagon's cloak and murmured, "No, I don't want him to read to me…"

"Cian," Cadagon beckoned him forward, "Clean my desk so I can read for my son." Cian's face contorted into bemusement.

"What? I-"

"Great, I'll check on you later to see how you're doing." He rose to his feet and stretched grandly. Then he carefully took Dark Link's hand and strutted out the room, leaving Cian stunned.

When they entered Dark Link's room, Dark Link trotted to his bed and pulled out a small book from under his mattress. "Read this, father."

"But I thought we were still on the _Hylian Annals_?"

"I found this in the library today, just sitting there on one of the tables."

Cadagon took the book. It was titled _Hylian_. "Well, I approve. It's a miracle you found this; I've been looking all over for it. Thank you. Shall we get started?"

They sat on the edge of the bed and huddled together. Cadagon opened to the middle of the book: _The Master Sword_.

_The Master Sword was forged by the Knight as a key to the Sacred Realm. For centuries, it was guarded by Or and Farore until Or was banished. It is near impossible to touch unless one has a pure heart and good will. Once it is removed, Hyrule will become what it became when the Hero of Time took it into his gallant hands: misfortunate and waste-strewn. The Master Sword is used to cleanse and banish Hyrule of evil. One must complete the set of trials constructed by the God Or before he can even approach the blade. These trials are challenging and demand complete devotion to their wills. Once these trials are accomplished, the Master Sword can now be pulled from its pedestal. Be forewarned; these trials are only for the good of heart._

"Father," Dark Link yawned, "Am I good?"

"Excuse me?" Cadagon shut the book and laid it on the bedside table.

"Do I have a good heart?"

"Why?"

"I want to pull the Master Sword out for you."

"Um," Cadagon pieced his thoughts together. _If my son had the Master Sword, it would aid me greatly. However, he would come to resent me and turn against me. I still need time to gain his acceptance. And he partakes in the _Trials_, I would have to accompany him. He would like it if I was there to help and not exile me._

"Well, of course you have a good heart, but you know what?" Cadagon smiled.

Dark Link shifted closer to Cadagon and kneaded his hands together. "What?"

"The Master Sword doesn't think so. Neither does Farore or Or."

"But why?"

"Because you're my son and they don't like me very much."

"…Why would any one not like you?"

Cadagon considered his words carefully; "Because I've done terrible things in the past."


End file.
